The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Wednesday, April 17, 2019 — 7A Big game woes T he Michigan baseball team is 24-11 overall and stands third in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have scored 100 more runs than their oppo- nents, only one regular starter has an on-base per- centage less than .300 and the team has 38 total home runs. They’ve won five games by double digits, 16 by four or more runs and have a defense that shuts down opposing hitters. That is, if they’re playing lesser teams. Teams like Michigan State, Bing- hamton or West Michigan. The Wolverines have a .800 winning percentage against opponents with a losing record and have committed just 15 errors in the 20 games, coolly putting teams away. Michigan has rock solid lead- ership and a great communal effort, obvious even from a press box a hundred feet away. “This is some of the best leadership and team chemistry that I’ve seen in the program in the six and a half years I’ve been here,” Michigan coach Erik Bakich said at the beginning of the year. Added senior infielder Blake Nelson after a home opener win: “It starts with our team. We’re all bought in for the win. Whether that’s warming up with the outfielders, doing the chart or playing in the game. It doesn’t really matter, we all know our roles and we’re all ready to come in when our number is called.” But then they play good teams. They still have a winning record against those at or above .500, winning eight of 14, mostly thanks to a 5-0 record against teams with a dead even record. Their impressively clean defense, though, falls apart — doubling its rate of errors from .75 errors per game to 1.5. Michigan’s 100-run advantage over its opponents? It shrinks all the way to one. “We were shaky at times defensively,” Bakich said after a deflating weekend against the Buckeyes. “We didn’t get the clutch hits when we needed to and a rivalry series is very emo- tional. It has all the characteris- tics, the look and feel, of big-time baseball whether your opponent is ranked or not.” Big time baseball hasn’t been kind to the Wolverines. Like they did in Columbus when they went 1-2, Michigan folded in Los Angeles and Lubbock. It was unable to compete with the spotlight on them. Bakich, though, has always been big on growth. “What I’d like us to do better is continue to trend upwards when we have setbacks like this, to use it as growth and fuel to better our performance in the future,” Bakich said after Ohio State. “If we’re going to be the team that I think we’re going to be, then we’re going to have to play well when it means the most and a rivalry series is one of those weekends when it means the most.” When will that growth come? The losses to Ohio State came a month after losing four out of five in California and two weeks after being swept by Texas Tech. At what point, if ever, will the Wolverines’ experience settle their nerves in big series’? In time, we’ll learn. Four of Michigan’s final five series are against teams with a .500 record or better, with its final two series against the teams ahead of the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings. As they enter the final month of the regular season, Michi- gan needs to limit its mistakes in the face of tough competi- tion — its pitchers can’t miss, its defenders can’t make costly mistakes and its offense needs to be consistent. That is, if they want to reach their lofty aspira- tions in the playoffs. Schwartz can be reached via email at kentsch@umich.edu or on Twitter @nottherealkent KENT SCHWARTZ KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily Michigan coach Erik Bakich noted that his team needs to step up its game. Alex StoraKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKo Freshman right-hander fans 15 in career day, leading Michigan past Michigan State in East Lansing, 12-1 EAST LANSING — Looking to avenge last year’s first round loss in the Big Ten tournament, the Michigan softball team traveled to East Lansing and was greeted by an even mix of green and white as well as maize and blue. The Wolverines ensured they dazzled the strong visiting crowd, nearly securing a run-rule victory and winning 12-1. Early on, though, it seemed tough to predict such an outcome. After a lackluster offensive showing in the top of the first by Michigan, sophomore left-hander Meghan Beaubien stepped into the circle looking to rebound from Saturday’s extra-inning loss against Ohio State. But Beaubien did the exact opposite — she gave up three hits and a walk to her first four batters. And that was plenty enough for Wolverines’ coach Carol Hutchins to visit the pitcher. Rather than having a few words with Beaubien and leaving her in, Hutchins pulled the trigger and substituted Beaubien out for freshman right-hander Alex Storako. Storako, even when facing a bases-loaded situation, wasn’t fazed and dished out two strikeouts and a scoreless inning. “Just like we’ve been focusing on all year, just the one-pitch focus, I think that really got me through (the jam),” Storako said. “Just clearing my head and having no thoughts during (it).” That was about the only difficulty Michigan faced the entire evening. Trailing 1-0, the Wolverines began to string together hit after hit, starting with the bottom of the lineup — exactly what Hutchins asked for after the Indiana series. Starting with junior third baseman Madison Uden, who hit a double to the centerfield wall, Michigan found its first runs on a two-run home run from senior catcher Katie Alexander, giving the Wolverines a 2-1 lead. Sophomore shortstop Natalia Rodriguez continued her consistency from the ninth spot in the batting order, finding herself in scoring position after a single and a stolen base — her eighth of the year — and coming home on a RBI double from dependable senior second baseman Faith Canfield. But that was only the start of the Wolverines’ onslaught. After a RBI single in third inning from senior first baseman Alex Sobczak, Michigan exploded in the top of the fourth inning. With each playing in the lineup seeing an at-bat during this inning, the wheels came off for the Spartans. First, Canfield added another RBI, this time on a triple. The outfield pairing of senior Natalie Peters and freshman Lexie Blair combined for the next run as Peters, who preceded Blair’s at-bat with a single and a stolen base, came home on a double from Blair down the left field line. A couple batters later, the Wolverines found their next run through a rather unconventional method. Michigan State pitcher McKenna Gregory, who had just come into the game, walked Uden home from third and Michigan found itself leading 7-1. Junior Haley Hoogenraad also got in on the party, driving in another run off a Spartan error at first base. In the meantime, Storako was having herself a career night. Continuing her dominance from the first inning, Storako pitched six no-hit innings along with a career- high 15 strikeouts. “I didn’t know (I had a career- high) until just now,” Storako said when asked about her performance. “Just not focusing on the results and focusing on the process has really helped not only me but the entire team.” After a couple quiet innings of being one run away from winning on a rule-run, Michigan made sure it left Secchia Stadium with a bang — literally. Alexander drove a high-flying home run to center, extending the Wolverines lead to eight in the top of the seventh. And with a surefire victory in the bag, the freshman pinch hitters kept the intensity going. With Hannah Carson on first base after a full-count walk, Morgan Overaitis made sure they both were accounted for on the scoreboard as she unleashed a long ball to center field, capping off the ideal bounce- back performance for Michigan. AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING — Alex Storako finally demonstrated the endurance that Michigan coach Carol Hutchins has been looking for all season. The freshman right-hander proved herself in Tuesday’s game against Michigan State when sophomore left-hander Meghan Beaubien struggled right off the bat. Beaubien, typically the team’s reliable ace, allowed three singles followed by a walk to force a runner home in the first inning, putting the Wolverines at a one run early. Storako — substituted in with no outs and the bases still loaded — took the opportunity in stride. She ended the inning with a flyout followed by two strikeouts, rescuing Michigan from the jam without sacrificing another run. “Her team needed her to step up and she did a fantastic job,” Hutchins said. “She has that in her and she hasn’t always shown it. Tonight we needed it from her, and she stepped it up and did what we think she’s capable of — shutting down an opponent.” She registered a career high of 15 strikeouts and went six innings before Michigan State registered a hit against her. She began to shake in the second inning. While she struck out the first batter she faced, Storako walked the next. She repeated this pattern with another strikeout and walk, putting two Spartans on base. With these two walks, it looked like Storako might be suffering from a challenge that’s plagued her all season: late-game struggles. Facing tough competition and close games, recently Hutchins has opted to pull Storako at the first sign of trouble. In the contest against Indiana earlier in the month, Storako was switched for Beaubien after hitting a batter with a pitch. But not Tuesday. Storako remained composed, throwing a ball followed by three pitches straight into the strike zone. With a flyout, the inning ended scoreless. These struggles were entirely absent in the following inning when Storako retired three batters with consecutive strikeouts, ending the third almost as soon as it had begun. Storako’s performance began to waver again in the fourth, starting the inning with a leadoff walk. Clawing her way back from behind in the count, Storako struck out the next two batters, though the leadoff runner advanced on a wild pitch. Another walk put runners on first and second, but Storako wasn’t fazed. She struck out the next batter to end the inning, once again leaving Michigan State without a run. She regained her rhythm in the fifth inning. After the first batter flied out, she struck out the next two. Storako’s performance only improved as the innings went on. In the final two innings, she registered four more strikeouts and allowed just two batters to reach base. “She came in and got out of that hairy first inning, then she had some ups and downs — a few walks in the middle there — but she was able to bring herself back,” Hutchins said. This game is the first in over a month in which Storako has pitched seven full innings. Despite not usually pitching into the fourth and fifth innings, Storako didn’t feel physical or mental fatigue. “It’s been a while since going a long game like that,” Storako said. “I think my workouts have been a lot of conditioning. I’m not really focused on results, just the process.” This contest marked several other firsts in Storako’s career, including the first time she has pitched six innings without a hit and seven innings with just one hit. Storako’s stamina would be a huge asset to the Wolverines if it were to continue into the rest of the season. With 147 innings already piled on Beaubien’s left arm, having Storako as a reliable second pitcher may be the difference between success and failure in the postseason. Hutchins made it clear that Storako would have further opportunities to show this persistence after Tuesday’s performance. “That is good for us to see,” Hutchins said. “She worked through it and in the future we’ll have more confidence to allow her to work through it.” Michigan went on to win, 12-1. They have Storako’s newfound endurance to thank. LANE KIZZIAH Daily Sports Writer Hutchins’ history lesson: At MSU, a reminder of progress EAST LANSING — Each year, the Michigan softball team plays a road game at Michigan State. And each year, coach Carol Hutchins seizes the opportunity to give her team a history lesson. At Secchia Stadium, the right field fence is draped in a green 1976 AIAW National Champions banner. The crown, which came four years after Congress passed Title IX of the Education Amendments, is the Spartans’ lone national championship. On a team that featured talent from top to bottom, senior pitcher Gloria Becksford stood out. Becksford’s three consecutive shutouts and 25 strikeouts propelled Michigan State to the 1976 AIAW Softball College World Series title that is commemorated on the Spartans’ fence to this day. That season, Becksford took a certain Michigan State freshman under her wing. Today, that freshman is the NCAA’s winningest coach of all-time. On Tuesday night, Hutchins made her 35th homecoming as the Wolverines’ coach. She tallied her 1,601st career coaching victory — the most in the history of the sport. No. 21 Michigan (30-11 overall, 12-1 Big Ten) throttled the Spartans (15-25, 3-9), 12-1, behind senior catcher Katie Alexander’s two home runs and freshman right-hander Alex Storako’s 15 strikeouts. After taking care of business, the Wolverines boarded their bus with something more valuable than just a win. The experience of competing on the same field that Hutchins played on — and often maintained herself amid an underfunded era of women’s athletics— gives Michigan an annual reminder. “She talks a lot about where sports were during her time (at Michigan State) and she teaches us how far we’ve come,” said senior second baseman Faith Canfield. “She lets us know we need to be thankful for where we are now because when she was here, it was not like that. … She’s one of the core people who have given us the platform for where we are now. It’s unbelievable and I’m thankful for it.” To Hutchins, it’s just one component of a meaningful college experience. The philosophy plays an instrumental role in the legend’s approach to coaching. “I had a great college experience,” Hutchins said. “It’s one of the reason I stayed in college athletics. When I got college and then started coaching, my mom said, ‘You know, you’ve never left college.’ And I said, ‘Why would anybody ever leave college?’ ” Today, Hutchins strives to offer her student-athletes a well-rounded college experience. Her program goes far beyond the diamond. Words like “relationships” and “education” come up in conversation before wins and losses are even mentioned. Her definition of greatness — as with everything she does — comes with its own unique flair. “I want my kids to experience what it is to be great,” Hutchins said. “We achieved greatness at Michigan State when I played, and greatness isn’t just defined by a national championship. Greatness is (defined by) great friends, great teammates and great work, and it’s a life lesson to be a college athlete.” After three and a half decades of greatness in Ann Arbor, Canfield sometimes struggles to associate Hutchins with her alma mater’s colors. “It’s weird to see (the banner in East Lansing), just seeing how passionate (Hutchins) is about Michigan,” Canfield said. “It’s actually really weird seeing it in green. She’s one of the greatest to ever do it. All of us have played for her, it’s interesting to remember that she actually played too.” Forty-three years after taking home the national championship, Hutchins uses the banner as a benchmark. But not a benchmark of time, success or experience. Instead, she smiles every time Michigan launches a home run over the wall it covers — the same one she helped build. Asked about the banner and its legacy after the game, Storako flashed a smile. “She told the hitters to hit the ball there.” DANIEL DASH Daily Sports Writer We have a lot of big... opportunities ahead. ALEC COHEN/Daily Freshman right-hander Alex Storako racked up a career-high 15 strikeouts in her six shutout innings of work on Tuesday. ALEC COHEN/Daily Michigan coach Carol Hutchins uses the banner in the Michigan State outfield to remind her team of the immense inequalities that used to plague female sports. She came in and got out of that hairy first inning...